From Homescape

From Portland, OR, to Ridgewood, N.J., the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) traveled cross country to find this year’s top professional bathroom designs. The 2008 winners were announced at NKBA’s annual show and conference held in Chicago April 11-13. The winners of this year’s competition are:

Powder rooms
An impressive powder room has become a fundamental element in modern homes. More designers today are creating spaces that are reflecting their client’s personality, but continue to remain practical. Materials and finishes play a significant role in designing the ideal contemporary powder rooms.

• First place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Second place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Third place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Honorable mention:
Elina Katsioula-Beall, CKD, Dewitt Designer Kitchens, Studio City, CA

Small bathrooms
The tranquil effects of Japanese elements had inspired Michael Ranson’s clients for many years, so they asked that he use these elements in creating their new bath. The couple specifically asked that a modern version of a furo, or Japanese soaking tub, be incorporated into the design.

• First place:
Michael Ranson, H O M E + atelier Michael Ranson, San Diego, CA

• Second place:
Leslie Ann Cohen, CKD, Leslie Cohen Design, Cardiff, CA

• Third place:
Tanya L. Woods, X-Tiles, Royal Oak, MI

• Honorable mention:
Mark S. Morris, Mark Morris Design Group, Brisbane, CA

Large bathrooms
This rustic-inspired bathroom features a large double vanity with a counter that has real leaf imprints in the concrete backsplash. But one of the most unique features in this room is the waterfall, which runs down the sandstone-tiled wall into a bed of pebbles.

• First place:
Siri Evju, CKD, CBD, Siri Designs, Portland, OR

• Second place:
Donna L.A. Riddell, CKD, CBD, Artistry Design Group, Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

• Third place:
Blue Arnold, CKD, CBD, Kitchens By Request, Inc., Jarrettsville, MD

• Honorable mention:
Tracey Scalzo, CKD, CBD, Eurotech Cabinetry, Inc., Sarasota, FL

Master suite/bathrooms
The challenge of this master bathroom suite was to create a relaxing spa-like feel that included his and hers lavatories, walk-in closets, a make-up table, tub, large shower, linen storage and a separate water closet.

• First place:
Holly Rickert, Ulrich, Inc., Ridgewood, NJ

• Second place:
Nicholas J. Geragi, CKD, CBD, Klaff’s, Inc., South Norwalk, CT

• Third place:
Scott and Sandra Gjesdahl, Bristol Design & Construction, Kirkland, WA

• Honorable mention:
Wendy R. Mayes, CKD, Jan Parker’s Kitchens By Design, LLC, Wichita, KS

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

Are you planning on remodeling your kitchen this year, but still scratching your head for ideas? This year’s top design winners of the National Kitchen & Bath Association competition created imaginative designs and aesthetically pleasing solutions that will inspire the decorator in you.

Small kitchen

Designer Areti Tanya Rentzos of Andros Kitchen & Bath Designs in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, took first place in the small kitchens category for her “Modern Efficiency” design.

The home was built in the 1920s and was in need of a complete remodel. The homeowners were graphic artists, who were looking for a contemporary edge on design. A wall between the kitchen and living space needed to be removed in order to extend the kitchen cabinets by approximately 3 feet. By doing so, Rentzos created enough room to incorporate the additional appliances. She also increased counter space by moving the sink to the corner.

Rentzos preserved the home’s 1920s coziness by choosing a dark cherry wood that exudes a feeling of warmth, but opted for contemporary styling with a flat slab door of brushed and polished stainless steel. A second counter level was installed to incorporate seating for two and create a division between the two rooms. She also added suspended shelves to open up the space in the upper cabinets and provide easier accessibility.

Rentzos’s other upgrades were:

Cabinets: Maple wood with me
rlot stain and wood dovetail drawer systems
Microwave: KitchenAid
Range: KitchenAid
Dishwasher: KitchenAid
Refrigerator: KitchenAid
Ventilation: KitchenAid
Countertops: Silestone
Fixtures and fittings: Richelieu shelf support and Hansgrohe faucet
Sinks: Blanco

Large kitchen

Anchorage, Alaska-based designer Terri Hosken of Beyond The Box: Kitchen Design won the large kitchen category with her “Modern & Marvelous” design.

The homeowners, both independent restaurant owners, appreciated the fundamental components of a working kitchen. But they wanted the creative functionality of a multipurpose space designed to accommodate a soccer-team meal or an art project with their children.

Hosken’s design focused on a layout that provides versatility and innovative storage behind a tranquil facade. A variety of components — including microwave, steam and conventional ovens, and a coffee/espresso maker — are integrated in the cabinet and drawer enclosures and are concealed by a stainless steel door. This frees up the kitchen’s layout for more customizable space.

The island counter (featuring stylish bar stools) allows freedom of movement around the kitchen. It has a mobile service cart that rotates freely to reveal small appliances below the counter. The cart can be removed to free up more knee space and be used elsewhere. A hidden pantry is seamlessly integrated with the cabinetry.

Hosken’s other upgrades were:

Cabinets: Custom Cabinetry by Howka Cabinet Co.
Cooktop: Thermador
Oven: Thermador
Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel
Refrigerator: Thermador
Ventilation: Zephyr
Countertops: Absolute black granite slab and maple top
Flooring: Absolute black granite tiles, Kahrs maple flooring
Fixtures: Hafele
Sink: Elkay
Walls and soffits: Gyp Board, primed and painted
Lighting: Techline cable rail and monorail, recessed incandescent

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

Over the weekend I stopped by the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show & Conference held here in Chicago. While I saw my fair share of sleek new bathroom faucets and granite kitchen countertops, nothing topped the list of cool new gizmos like Kohler’s VibrAcoustic bathtub.

I could hear the oohs and ahhs as I approached the crowd of spectators converged around this state-of-the-art tub. Like something straight out of “The Jetsons,” the long, white multisensory bath integrates light, choreographed music and soothing vibrations to create the ultimate relaxation experience.

The science of bathing                                                                                                                                      

Kohler's VibrAcoustic bath intergates light, music and soothing vibrations to create a relaxing experience.

Barry Glasford, a project analyst with Kohler and one of the brains behind the creation of the tub, told me the VibrAcoustic bath successfully marries the science of water and sound with the art of ergonomic design. Vibroacoustics is a technology-based sound therapy defined as hearing and feeling sound vibrations through the body. Glasford says it’s proven to promote relaxation and is an ideal feature to add to a bathtub that is designed and engineered to instinctively ease tension and stress.

Who needs whirlpool jets when you have a selection of four uniquely composed music numbers creating a soothing synchronized vibration. Transducers producing the vibrations are strategically placed on the backside of the bath allowing the bather to not only hear but also feel the music streaming in from one of the four preset fountainheads. The sound waves travel through the water and gently resound in the body.

“During our test runs, I would see people fall into a deep, relaxed breathing, as they lay there in the bathtub,” Glasford says. “The vibration and lighting encourages the bather’s breathing rate to align with the beats or chord structures. The experience is truly three-dimensional.”

Creating euphoria
The four VibrAcoustic original compositions were created in collaboration with a renowned sound therapist and are choreographed uniquely for this bath to optimize the vibroacoustic effect. Two massaging beat experiences add even more physical vibration that can be adjusted to the desired level of intensity for a personalized bath experience.

But if you’re more of a Guns N’ Roses fan like myself, the DTV bath interface allows you to download your own songs from a MP3 player or radio station from a home computer. Glasford, however, says he wouldn’t recommend up-tempo tunes if you’re looking for a euphoric experience.

The synchronized lighting is truly the psychedelic eye-catcher on this suped-up tub. The four lights in the bath can create eight different colors and a myriad of color combinations and patterns. A color dial even allows bathers to choose a particular hue of each color. The lights are synchronized with the four preset fountainhead experiences and will also align themselves with the rhythm of outside music.

Bath design
The bathtub is made of acrylic and available in two sizes: 88-by-48-by-24 inches and 72-by-42-by- 26 inches, which allow bathers of different heights to be submerged completely. The 88-inch tub will cost you around $13,000 while the 72-inch bath retails for $10,500. For some people, the price will be worth the experience.

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

My two favorite rooms in my house are the kitchen and bathroom. Whether I’m hovering over the stove concocting a new sauce or soaking away in the bathtub, both enclaves serve as sanctuaries for entertainment and relaxation.

Recent market forecaster reports from K+BB magazine and the National Kitchen & Bath Association found that both bath and kitchen remodeling projects topped the list of homeowners’ needs, and industry observers say the trend will continue to grow over the next year.

1. In 2007, Americans spent more than $220 billion on new construction and remodeling of kitchens and bathrooms.

2. Six out of every seven new kitchens last year were remodeled, while one in seven were new construction.

3. Nearly 75 percent of existing bathrooms last year were remodeled, while a little more than a quarter of them were new  construction.

4. Bucking the downturn in the housing market, the number of kitchen and bath remodeling projects actually increased in 2007 over 2006 levels.

5. About 6.9 million kitchen and 8.5 million bath remodeling jobs are projected for 2008.

6. Dipping home values and prices have helped spark an interest in remodeling projects, as sellers are spending more on home improvements to increase the value of their home and appeal to more prospective buyers. Homeowners that have chosen not to move because of the current housing slump have decided to reinvest in remodeling projects as they wait out the storm.

7. With 36 states facing water shortages by 2015, consumers will need to look at more eco-friendly fixtures. Bathrooms account for more than half of all household daily water use. Kitchen and bath companies are offering a wider selection of affordable water conservation products.

8. For every 20 bathroom projects undertaken last year, nine were master baths; eight were full baths and three were powder rooms.

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.